EFCC Grills DG NAFDAC, Paul Orhi Over Alleged Graft

The Economic and Financial Commission have summoned the Director-General of the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration And Control, NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhi over allegations bordering on abuse of office.

Dr. Orhi who is currently being questioned by a crack team of detectives for allegedly awarding huge contracts to companies in which he has interests arrived the commission’s headquarters around 10 am Monday and has been making useful statement to its agents.

According to Vanguard who spoke to an EFCC official under anonymosity said “It is true that the NAFDAC head was summoned by us and he is currently being quizzed in relation to allegations that he has been awarding contracts running into millions of Naira to companies close to him.

Asked if the man would be released today on self recognition, the source said he had no idea but that doing so might depend on whether the operatives were satisfied with his answers to issues raised against him.
Mr. Orhi has been accused of massive corruption at the food and drug administration office.

A former finance director of NAFDAC, Ademola Mogbojuri, said Mr. Orhi was behind shady deal and financial recklessness at the agency.

He said Mr. Orhi refused to remit funds meant for the federation account, and instead funneled the agency’s internally generated revenues to fund political campaign in his home Benue State.

“Some of the companies they used to carry out the deals have collected over N6bn in the last two years,” Mr. Mogbojuri told Punch in July.

“Towards the general election this year, he collected a lot of money and used it to buy vehicles, which he branded and gave to a governorship aspirant in his native Benue State. The financial recklessness of the DG has brought NAFDAC onto its knees.”
The DG denied the allegations.

In an interview with Vanguard, Mr. Orhi said the claims were false.

“We have not indulged in reckless spending as claimed. Take a look at the person making the allegations, the former director of finance and administration,” he was quoted as saying.

“He is the person who has been making the payments for the past three to four years. Then suddenly when he was reassigned, he woke up to discover that there were irregularities.”